Criboku
Sudoku-style deduction on a grid of playing cards, scored like cribbage hands.
Every day: One dated cribbage-scoring grid a day with a unique solution, rising from easy on Monday to expert on Sunday. New puzzle: Once a day; the site does not state the time.
Criboku is a daily logic puzzle built on cribbage scoring. Fill the blank cards in a four by four grid so that every row, column and corner square scores what its clue says; each puzzle has one solution and never needs a guess.
About Criboku
Criboku is a free daily puzzle by Scott Harker that crosses sudoku-style deduction with the scoring of a cribbage hand. The board is a four by four grid of playing cards, some shown and some blank, with target scores around the edge for each row, column and two by two corner square.
Your job is to choose the missing cards so every group of four scores exactly its number under cribbage rules: fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes. Each puzzle has a single solution that can be reached by logic alone.
There is one dated puzzle a day. Difficulty follows the week, from easy on Monday to expert on Sunday, and an archive lets you go back to past days. A hint button and a primer for newcomers are built in, and the site links to guides on how to score a cribbage hand.
It suits cribbage players looking for a solo challenge, and sudoku fans who want a new kind of arithmetic to reason with.
How to play Criboku
- Open criboku.com; today's dated board is shown.
- Read the score clues beside each row and column and on each corner square.
- Tap a blank slot and choose a card so each group of four scores exactly its clue in cribbage.
- Fill every blank to solve the puzzle, then share your result.
Tips
- Learn the cribbage scores first: fifteens 2, pairs 2, runs 1 per card, flushes 4.
- A score of 0 tells you a lot: no fifteens, pairs or runs in that group.
- Start the week on Monday's easy puzzle and work up to Sunday's expert one.
Questions
Do I need to know cribbage?
It helps, but the site has a primer and a guide to scoring a cribbage hand.
Will I ever need to guess?
No. Each puzzle has one solution that can be found by logic.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes, from the puzzle archive or with the previous day button.
Games like Criboku
29GO
Daily cribbage hands against the computer.
Daily Killer Sudoku
Sums-based deduction on a grid, every day.
Daily Kakuro
A daily arithmetic logic puzzle.
Daily Sudoku
Classic daily grid deduction.
DailyPlay Solitaire
A daily puzzle played with a deck of cards.
Angler
Name the day's angle to the exact degree in four guesses.
Bulls and Cows Game (bullsandcowsgame.com)
Crack the day's secret 4-digit code from bulls and cows clues, with the same code for every player.
Digit Shift (Ponder Club)
Slide numbered tiles back into order, one daily board for everyone.